Reclining-chair.



Nb. 644,933. I Patented Mans, |900.

c. w. MacALL.

BEGLINING CHAIR.

(Application flied Nov. 11, 1899.)

(No Model.)

/N VENTO/ BY A770 EYS t il CHARLES lV. MCCALL,()F BINGHAMTON, NE'W YORK.

RECLlNlNG-CHAIR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 644,933, dated March 6, 1900.

Application tiled November l1, 1899. Serial Noi 736,674. (No model.)

To ali whom it may con/cern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES W.VMCCALL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Binghamton, in the county of Broome and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Reclining- Chairs, of which the following is a specification.

My invention is directed to the production of an armed chair having a construction whereby it may be used as a parlor or reception or as a reclining chair adjustable to every position the human body may assume for repose and perfectly rigid in each, and the preoise matters which constitute my improvements will be pointed out in the claims concluding this specification.

Referring to the drawings, Figure l shows the chair-back and leg-rest adjusted for a reclining position. Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal section of the same. Fig. 3 shows a like section of the chair-back and leg-rest as adj Listed for a parlor or reception chair. Fig. 4 shows a cross-section of the seat-frame on the line .fr :n of FigpQ; and Fig. 4a shows in bottom View the cross-rod,its ratchet-arm, and rack. Fig. 5 shows the ratchet-brace and leg-rest support.

The chair-frame may be of any suitable style to correspond in appearance with other furniture. The seat-frame preferably slopes from the front to the rear and the back is hinged to the rear end thereof. Arm-rests l are provid ed with ari oblique lower bar 2, pivoted to the back, and extending obliquely downward are loosely mounted on a slidable cross-rod 3 below the seat at the outer sides of the seat-su pportin g frame. rlhis cross-rod 3 rests in horizontal slots 4 in the frame, and

rear and engage. the racks, whereby the back is adjusted and held at the inclination to which it may be set. .A spring-arm 8 mediately of the rod has a roll-bearing 9 on the under side of the seat and serves to press the ratchet-arms into engagement with the racks. In raising the back'the ratchet-arms move freely over the racks, while to lower the back the occupant takes hold of the knobs and turning the rod upward disen gages the ratchet-arrns and slides the rod till the back is at the desired inclination. In this sliding of the cross-rod its roll-arm moveswith it and has constant bearing upon the seat-bottoni.

It will be noted that by reason of the oblique arm-bar the tilting of the back causes the arm-rests to assume positions inclining upward from the back, as in Fig. l, and thereby affords very comfortable rests for the elbows while holding a book or paper and is a happy contrast to the uncomfortable position to the arms of the occupant upon low horizontal arms in chairs where the back is set reclining. Moreover, the oblique barsof the arms forni braces and render the movements and support of the-back more firm and satisfactory.

The leg and foot rest is arranged to be moved beneath the seatwhen not used and consists ofa top leaf part l0,hinged at its outer r end to an under open frame part 19, so that when in use the free end of the top leaf part forms an extension of the seat.V j

The under frame part is open and is provided with eyes ll at its inner end, which are placed to slide upon horizontal rods or ways l2, depending from the seat-frame, so 'that will be under the seat. in sliding the leg-rest frame inward its outer end must be supported, and this support is afforded by a cross-bar 2O at the' front legs beneath the guide-rods l2, as in Fig. 3.

The under frame part when extended is supported by a brace 13, standing down immediately from a cross-rod 14 on the under open frame and provided with ratchet-teeth l5, adapted to engage with a tooth 16, fixed on the cross-bar of the front legs below the crossbar 20. This cross-rod has a short arm 17 on the other side of the rod-14, so that when the brace is engaged with the ratchet-tooth the short arm 17 vwill stand' obliquely from the seat above the cross-rod: Upon this short arm the free or inner end of the top leaf legrest part 10 is supported, so that it will be vwhen slid in the frame its hinged top part` i In this position and4 IOO , the Xed ratchet-tooth, as in Fig. 2.

elevated on a level with the seat. Thisis important to afford a proper support to the lower leg parts and a continuation of the seat. This short brace-arm is important for another purpose, and that is to give the rod the function of a safety-lever to render the ratchet engagement secure. This function is due to the weight of the hinged top leaf leg-rest, which is supported upon this ratchet brace-arm, so that it constantly acts to depress outward the arm to press the ratchet end of the brace inward into engagement with the ratchet-tooth. A coil-spring 1S on the cross-rod 14: by torsion constantly tends to maintain the ratchetbrace engagement, and on thisraccount would prevent the top leaf leg-rest from being shut down to permit it to be moved under the seat. To avoid this and allow the leg-rest to be moved under the seat, the ratchet-brace is reversed, so that its short arm will stand toward the seat, and the hinged top leaf resting thereon when moved under the seat will hold the ratchet-brace in its reversed position, so that the leg-rest parts can be slid under the seat, keeping the ratchet-brace standing outward against the tension of its torsion-spring, as in Fig. 3. This way of holding the ratchetbrace out of use allows it to be automatically thrown into engagement when the leg-rest is withdrawn, so that its inner end will clear the seat and be instantly raised by the lifting action of the short arm of the ratchet-brace in being reversed and thrown into engagement with For this purpose the tension of the spring must be sufficient to elevate and keep raised the top leaf leg-rest, so that the latter must be held down against the upward pressing force of the ratchet-brace to allow it to be slid under the seat, which of course then holds it down. The construction gives to the hinged top leaf legrest and its supporting ratchet-brace the several functions whereby the leg-rest is elevated on a level with the seat, the ratche t-brace held firmly in engagement in its supporting function for the leg-rest and also held out of engagement and automatically tripped to allow of its engagement with the ratchet-tooth.

When the back is set to its maximum inclination, as in Fig. l, the leg and foot rest is elevated to the level of the seat and gives a most -perfect iitting to the back and legs of the occupant. This in enhanced by the sloping set of the seat-frame.

The adaptation of the hinged top leaf of the leg and foot rest to be automatically elevated to a level with the seat is important to afford a comfortable support for the lower legs and feet when the back is inclined to give perfect ease to every part of the body. Especially is this important where the leg-rest is arranged for a sliding movement under and out from the seat, because were it not for causing the hinged top of the leg-rest to be elevated to and held rigid at the seat-level there would be no proper support for the legs in any position of the back of the chair.

In whatever position of the back its comfort would be unsatisfactory without the elevatingfeature of the leg-rest, and in whatever` position of the back the hinged leaf leg-rest top can be inclined upward or downward without changing the relation of the free inner end of the hinged top leaf` to the front edge of the seat, so that the adjustment of the back and the position of the hinged top of the leaf leg-rest cooperate to give the desired comfort to the occupant.

It is obvious that the free end of the leaf leg-rest may be slid over and upon the seat in moving the leg-rest frame part under the seat, and this is sometimes desirable to allow the tlexure of the legs at the knees while the body is in a reclining position.

The movements of the back and arms are controlled by the knobs at each side of the seat, which are grasped and turned upward to release the ratchet-arms from the racks, when the arms can be moved back or forward, with the cross-rod sliding in the slots, and on releasing the knobs the ratchet-arms engage the racks and hold the back.

It is obvious that the free end of the top leaf leg-rest part maybe supported by two arms on the cross-rod, and it will be noted that while the support thus provided must be rigid it is turned out 'of the way by the outward swinging movement of the ratchetbrace, so that the ratchet-brace controls and fixes the hinged top leaf leg-rest on a level with the seat-frame and allows it to close upon the under frame part.

1. In a reclining-chair and in combination with the seat-frame provided with side slots and racks fixed, on its inner side walls parallel with and below said slots,the back hinged to the seat and the arm-rests pivoted to the back, of a rod extending through the slots and having ratchet-arms standing rearward and engaging the racks, a spring fixed on the rod and having a' movable pressure contact with the frame and knobs xed on theends of the rod, whereby the rod, its ratchets, spring-arm and the arm-rests are caused to slide together in adjusting the back.

2. In a reclining-chair, a seat-frame having side-wall slots and racks fixed on the inner sides of said walls parallel with and below said slots, a hinged back and arm rest pivoted thereto, in combination with a rod extending through said slots, havin g ratchet-arms standing rearward and engaging the racks7 a knob fixed on each end and a spring-arm on said rod slidable on a fixed part of the frame, whereby in adjusting the back the rod carries with it the pawls, the knobs and the spring-arm, as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

CHAS. W. MCOALL. Witnesses:

E. C. MOODY, R. W. MEEKER.

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